The mobility afforded by wireless communication networks has resulted in increased usage of such networks. Wireless networks can be divided into private wireless networks and publicly-accessible wireless networks. Private wireless networks, also known as private trunking radio networks, are commonly operated by public safety agencies, taxi services and delivery services. A majority of private wireless networks provide only dispatch communication services, whereas a majority of publicly-accessible wireless networks provide only interconnect communication services. Some publicly-accessible wireless networks, however, provide both interconnect and dispatch communication services. Dispatch communication services are sometimes referred to as “walkie-talkie” communication services because of the half-duplex nature of the communications. Interconnect communication services are what is typically referred to as circuit-switched voice communications, and are full-duplex.
Private wireless networks typically operate over a limited range of frequencies and within limited geographic areas. Additionally, private wireless networks typically operate using proprietary protocols, have limited expansion capabilities, are expensive to operate and cannot easily interoperate with other private or publicly-accessible wireless networks. In contrast, publicly-accessible wireless networks typically operate over a larger number of frequencies and provide coverage over larger geographic areas. Moreover, publicly-accessible wireless networks use standard protocols, are easier to expand, and interoperate with other publicly-accessible wireless networks.
Due to the relative complexity of publicly-accessible dispatch communication networks compared to private dispatch communication networks, some of the features and functionalities provided in private dispatch communication networks are not offered in publicly-accessible dispatch communication networks. Specifically, private dispatch communication networks typically have a single, centrally-located, communications processor (or call handler) for managing and routing communications between wireless stations. In contrast, publicly-accessible dispatch communication networks have a distributed architecture which involves routing communications between a number of communication processors. Moreover, due to the differences between interconnect and dispatch communication services, many features provided for interconnect communication services are not available for dispatch communication services.